Charcoal grill



Jan. 13, 1970 J. H. WEST 3,489,132

CHARCOAL GRILL Filed Sept. 19, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JACK H. WEST ATTORNEY-5.

whereby said legs serve as additional means for holding said sides in assembled relation.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the flanges in each wall terminate below the top thereof whereby the flange on said cover seats on the tops of said flanges on said walls.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the slot in each leg is beveled at its open end to facilitate the insertion of said adjacent flanges therein.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein each leg is provided with a foot plate.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein each foot plate is universally mounted.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein each foot plate is mounted on a threaded stem and each leg has a nut therein engaging said stem permitting minor variation in the length of each leg.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein said side walls are hinged on one side of said base plate and said front and rear walls are hinged on the opposite side of said base plate whereby said side walls fold against one side of said base plate and said front and rear walls on the opposite side thereof.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said front wall is provided with a hinged access door.

9. The structure of claim wherein a sliding damper is provided in said access door.

10. The structure of claim 1 wherein the wall to which said cover is hinged is provided with vertical slots, and

bolts extended through said slots carry the hinges for said cover,

whereby said cover may move downwardly so that the flange thereon overlies the top of said walls.

11. The structure of claim 1 wherein an opening is provided in said cover, and

a chimney is detachably mounted over said opening.

12. The structure of claim 11 wherein said chimney is of a length to support said cover in substantially horizontal position when said cover is folded back to open the top of said fire box.

13. The structure of claim 12 wherein said chimney is toldable to flat position.

14. The structure of claim 12 wherein said chimney comprises four substantially rectangular plates,

each having a substantially right-angled flange along one edge thereof, and

hinges connect adjacent plates,

said flanges limiting the expansion of said hinges to hold said plates in rectangular condition when opened for use.

15. The structure of claim 14 wherein the hinges on two diagonally opposed corners of said chimney are on the inside thereof and the hinges on the other two diagonally opposed corners are on the outside to facilitate folding the chimney to relatively fiat condition.

16. The structure of claim 12 wherein said opening in said cover in substantially rectangular and upstanding flanges are provided on each side,

said chimney fitting over said flanges.

17. The structure of claim 16 wherein lock means are provided for securing said chimney to said flanges.

18. The structure of claim 17 wherein said lock means includes spring fingers extending outwardly from two opposite sides of said chimney,

a pin extending inwardly from each finger and registering openings in the adjacent side plates and flanges through which said pins are extended.

19. The structure of claim 1 wherein notched grill supports are detachably mounted on said front and rear walls,

a grill supporting rod is seated in the notches of said supports, and

a grill is suspended from said rod.

20. The structure of claim 19 wherein said grill is suspended by chains from said rod, and

said rod is provided with a handle for rotating said rod to vary the effective height of said grill over a fire in said fire box.

21. The structure of claim 20 wherein locking means are provided for securing said rod against rotation.

22. The structure of claim 21 wherein said locking means comprise a spring finger having a notch therein secured to one of said grill supports,

a bolt extends through said finger,

a wing nut on said bolt is rotated to move said spring finger towards its associated support,

the notch in said finger being normally aligned with the notch in its associated support, and movement of said finger towards the support disaligning the notches to clamp the grill rod against rotation.

23. The structure of claim 21 wherein a lug is carried by said grill and a channel depends from one of said grill supports,

said lug slidably engaging in said channel to prevent tilting of said grill.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 497,275 5/1893 Glasmann 126-9 2,424,665 7/1947 Pope l269 2,485,667 10/1949 Sims 126-9 3,393,670 7/ 1968 Psarris 1269 X EDWARD G. FAVORS, Primary Examiner J. H. WEST CHARCOAL GRILL Jan. 13, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 19, 1968 ww NJ QM. a n Wm J \Rwi J d I I INVENTOR J40? H. W557 4%, ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent M 3,489,132 CHARCOAL GRILL Jack H. West, 708 N. McKean St., Butler, Pa. 16001 Filed Sept. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 760,799 Int. Cl. F24c 1/16; F24b 3/00; A47i 37/07 U.S. Cl. 126-9 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The side walls of a charcoal grill fire box extend above the end walls and are bent inwardly to form top flanges, beneath which there are ledges supporting a grid. A removable grate is supported beneath the grid in a position to divide the fire box into a lower ignition chamber and an upper combustion chamber. Each of the end walls of the firebox has a transversely extending draft opening at its bottom, closed by a door hinged to the top of the opening so that the bottoms of the doors can be swung outwardly. Folding legs support the fire box.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a charcoal grill which is simple and inexpensive in construction, which has large adjustable draft openings in its end walls, which has a removable cover, which has foldable legs, in which charcoal can readily be ignited by only paper, and from which the charcoal grate can easily be removed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of my grill;

FIG. 2 is an end view;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view, partly broken away in horizontal section;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken'on the line IV-IV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on the line VV of FIG. 3, but showing the legs folded.

Referring to the drawings, a fire box that is rectangular in horizontal section has a bottom wall 1, front and back side walls 2 and 3 and end walls 4. The bottom and side walls are formed from a single sheet of sheet metal that is bent into a general U-shape. The two side walls may be parallel throughout, diverge upwardly, or extend upward in parallel relation for about three inches and then diverge as shown in FIG. 4, which is preferred. The end wall likewise are made of sheet metal and are spot welded to the side walls. The length of the fire box can be anything desired, depending only on the width of the sheet from which the side and bottom walls are formed. The height of the end walls is less than that of the side walls. The bottoms of the end walls are spaced from bottom wall 1 about 1 /2 inches, or one-half the height of the parallel portions of the side walls, to form large rectangular draft openings 5 that extend from side to side of the fire box directly above its bottom as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The side walls of the fire box extend above the tops of the end walls and are bent inwardly toward each other to form top flanges 7 that are spaced above the level of the tops of the end walls, as will be seen in FIG. 2. Below each of these flanges there is a ledge 8 at about the same level as the top of the end walls, or slightly below. These ledges may be formed from angle strips that are spot welded to the inner surfaces of the side walls. The ledges support a metal grid 9 that is stifi' enough to support any meat or other food that may be placed on it for cooking. The grid may be made in any suitable form, but preferably from a row of parallel cross wires welded to three longitudinal wires. The cross wires are spaced apart far enough to allow wieners to project down below them so that there 3,489,132 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 will be no danger of the wieners rolling off the grid. The ends of the cross wires rest on the ledges, but as shown in FIG. 5 the ends of the longitudinal wires will engage the inner surface of one or the other of the end walls if the grid is moved lengthwise. This will keep the grid from slipping out of the ends of the channels formed by the flanges and the ledges in case the grill is tilted endwise. The function of the flanges is to prevent the grid from being lifted up away from the rest of the grill when a steak, for example, on the grid is lifted to be turned over, because a steak is likely to stick to such a grid when first placed on it. On the other hand, the grid can easily be removed from the channels when desired by simply lifting it until one end of it clears the adjoining end wall and then sliding the grid outwardly across that wall.

In order to support a bed of charcoal beneath the grid, a grate 11 is disposed in the fire box some distance below the grid, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The area between the grate and grid forms a combustion chamber. The area below the grate forms an ignition chamber. The grate is supported by any suitable means, such as ledges 12 secured to the side walls of the fire box two or three inches above its bottom and always above the draft openings 5. The grate can be lifted from the ledges to remove it from the fire box after the grid above it has been removed. Due to the upward flare of the side walls of the box, the grate is narrower than the horizontal space between the upper ledges and top flanges, so the grate can be lifted straight up instead of having to be tilted sideways before it can be removed.

In order to control the draft up through the bed of charcoal on the grate, a single vertical door 14 is hinged along its upper edge to the bottom of each end wall. The hinges 15 are tight enough to create sufficient friction or resistance to turning to retain the doors at any angle to which they may be swung open. The best type of hinge for this purpose is a piano hinge. The ends of the doors project laterally from the front and the back of the fire box to form integral handles 16, by which the doors can easily be swung open and closed.

It often is desirable to be able to cover the food as it is being grilled, which will hasten the cooking and, in'the case of lamb chops, prevent them from catching fire. Therefore, a cover 18 is provided that preferably has a flat top and downwardly extending side and end walls so that the top is spaced a few inches from the top of the grid while the cover is resting on the front and rear top flanges of the fire box. The back of the cover is hinged to the rear wall of the fire box so that the cover can be swung upwardly and rearwardly to the dotted line position in FIG. 2, by a handle 19 attached to its front wall. Preferably, the cover is removable completely from the fire box so that it will not be in the way in case it is not needed. To permit this, the hinges that connect the cover to the fire box are formed from downwardly and rearwardly extending rigid metal tongues 20 secured to the back wall of the cover and extending down through transverse slots 21 formed in rigid brackets 22 attached to the back of the rear wall of the fire box at its top. These bracketsextend rearwardly and preferably are inclined upwardly a slight amount. When it is desired to open the cover without removing it, the cover is merely swung up and back and then its rear wall will rest on the portions of the brackets behind their slots (FIG. 2). This will hold the cover substantially upright. To remove the cover from the fire box, it is only necessary to lift its tongues out of the bracket slots. The top of the cover can be provided with vents 23, and the spaces between the end walls of the cover and the tops of the end walls of the fire box form further vents 24 that assure a good draft up through the fire box even when the cover is closed.

Although the fire box could be set directly on a suitable support, it is preferred to provide it with legs. There are two legs 26 near each end of the fire box, their upper ends being pivotally connected to the side walls of the box by means of rivets 27 or the like. These legs have inwardly bent portions 28 that extend beneath the fire box and engage its bottom wall. This engagement occurs only when the legs are inclined outwardly a slight amount as shown in FIG, 1, so that the weight of the fire box and its contents helps to hold the legs in operative position.

In most cases it is desirable to lock the legs in that position, so a leaf spring 29 has its central portion secured to the center of the bottom of the fire box. The spring extends lengthwise of the box and its ends engage the inner surfaces of a pair of cross bars 30. Each cross bar is welded to the inwardly extending portions 28 of a pair of the legs to make a more rigid leg construction. Preferably, each cross bar is provided with one or more longitudinal grooves 31 by pressing the metal outwardly and thereby forming a stiffening corrugation or rib, The adjoining end of spring 29 projects into the groove and cannot accidentally slip off the cross bar and release the legs. By pulling down on the ends of the leaf spring until they clear the cross bars and then swinging the bars toward each other, the legs can be folded up against the bottom of the fire box as shown in FIG. 5. This position of the legs is desirable for shipping and storage of the grill and may also be advantageous if the grill is used in a fire place where the space above it may be rather restricted.

Handles 32 are attached to the opposite ends of the fire box for lifting and carrying the grill.

To use the grill, the grid and grates are removed from the fire box and waste paper, such as half sheets of newspaper, is rolled up into tight balls and dropped into the ignition chamber in the bottom of the fire box. Enough paper should be used to cover the bottom wall of the box. The grate is then put back in the box and covered with charcoal. Then the grid is slid lengthwise into the channels at the top of the fire box until it is in position over the charcoal bed. The draft doors are opened and the paper ignited at both ends of the box. The draft in through openings and up through the fire box causes the paper to ignite the charcoal in a very short time. The intensity of the fire is controlled by the draft doors. This will adjust the heat at the cooking level, which can be varied between 300 and 600 F., depending on how far open the draft doors are. Due to the good draft up through the charcoal bed, the paper quickly ignites the charcoal without the use of any starting fluids or an electric igniter.

I claim:

1. A charcoal grill comprising a sheet metal fire box having a bottom and side and end walls and an open top the side walls extending above the end walls and bent inwardly to form top flanges above the level of the tops of the end walls, supporting ledges secured to the inner surfaces of the side walls at substantially the level of said end wall tops, a grid beneath said flanges normally resting on said ledges and engageable with the inner surfaces of said end walls, said grid being liftable far enough for it to be slid lengthwise across either end wall to remove the grid from beneath said flanges, a removable grate in the fire box below the grid, means secured to the fire box walls normally supporting the grate in a position to divide the fire box into a lower ignition chamber and an upper combustion chamber, each of said end walls being provided at its bottom with a tranversely extending draft opening beside the ignition chamber, a door for closing each of said openings, and means hinging the upper edges of the doors to the adjoining end walls above the draft openings to permit the bottoms of the doors to be swung outwardly to open said openings.

2. A charcoal grill according to claim 1, in which said side walls diverge upwardly above said grate, and the space between said ledges is greater than the width of the grate.

3. A charcoal grill according to claim 1, in which said hinging means have enough frictional resistance to operation to hold said doors in any position to which they are swung.

4. A charcoal grill according to claim 3, in which said doors project laterally beyond said side walls to form handles for operating the doors.

5. A charcoal grill according to claim 1, including a cover for said fire box normally resting on said flanges with the ends of the cover spaced above said end wall tops to form vents at the ends of the grid, one of said fire box side walls being a back wall, and means hinging one side of the cover to said back wall to permit the cover to be swung upwardly and rearwardly.

6. A charcoal grill according to claim 5, in which said cover-hinging means include rigid tongues secured to the cover and projecting rearwardly from the lower edge of said one side thereof, and transversely slotted rigid members secured to the top of said fire box back wall and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said members removably receiving said tongues so that the cover can be removed from the fire box.

7. A charcoal grill according to claim 5, in which said cover-hinging means include rigid tongues secured to the cover and projecting rearwardly from the lower edge of said one side thereof, and rigid members secured to the top of said fire box back wall and projecting rearwardly therefrom, each of said members being provided with a transverse slot extending downwardly through it and loosely receiving one of said tongues, and the portions of said members behind the slots supporting the cover in substantially upright position when it is swung back behind the grid.

8. A charcoal grill according to claim 1, including a pair of legs at each end of the fire box, means pivotally connecting each pair of legs to the side walls of the fire box on a transverse axis, a cross member below the fire box rigidly connecting the legs of each pair, said pairs of legs being foldable inwardly under the fire box, and a leaf spring fastened to the center of the bottom of the fire box and having ends engaging said cross members when the legs are in operative position to lock them, said spring ends being manually movable downwardly to release the legs for folding inwardly.

9. A charcoal grill according to claim 8, in which each of said legs has a portion extending laterally beneath the fire box and engaging its bottom wall when the legs are inclined downwardly and toward the ends of the fire box.

10. A charcoal grill according to claim 8, in which the inner surfaces of said cross members are provided with longitudinal grooves receiving the adjoining ends of said leaf spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,503 11/1935 -Hanson et al. 2,666,425 1/1954 Hastings 12625 2,917,039 12/1959 Sheedlo 1269 3,172,402 3/1965 Valiela 12625 CHARLES I. MYHRE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

